Washington at Golden State
Time: 10:30 PM ET, Jan 28, 2014
Spread: GSW -8
M/L: GSW -360; WAS +280
Total: 207
Betting odds courtesy of Bovada
The Washington Wizards are one game below .500, but still seated sixth in the Eastern Conference Playoff picture. The Wizards have been good on the road though, as winners of 11 of 22 this season, and it will travel to take on Golden State in a game NBA oddsmakers are favoring the Warriors by 8-points.
Golden State, like Washington, is seated sixth in its conference. The difference is that it takes a 27-18 record to be there in the West, and Golden State can legitimately be thought of as real contenders. The Warriors are a very talented team with a high scoring backcourt in Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, and are a legitimate threat to all of the powerhouses in the West. Curry’s big game antics give the Warriors a legit shot even against the likes of Oklahoma City and San Antonio.
Golden State scored a big 103-88 victory over Portland on Sunday (Jan 26) night as Steph Curry went for 38 points, seven rebounds and eight assists. Curry is averaging 24.1 points and 9.3 assists per game while posting a PER of 23.16. He’s scored 33 or more points in three of his past five games, however, while shooting 52.9 percent from the floor over that span. Curry will start in the backcourt for the Western Conference All-Stars this season, and the added TV exposure the Warriors have received since Curry’s rise has no doubt played a huge role in that.
Though the Wizards are a much improved team this season, the club still can’t be taken seriously when it is losing to the likes of Utah. The Jazz won 104-101 Saturday night. Trevor Ariza led the Wizards with 23 points in the loss. Ariza is third on the team in scoring with 14.2 points per game, but his best contributions come on the defensive end.
The Wizards do have a promising backcourt with second-year guard Bradley Beal beginning to hit stride. Beal is posting 16.9 points per game this season, while also grabbing 3.8 rebounds and dishing out 3.2 assists. Beal has a sweet shooting stroke and pairing him with John Wall gives the Wizards a chance to have a great backcourt in time.
The Wiz do have some power in the frontcourt with Nene Hilario and Marcin Gortat. Gortat was practically given away by Phoenix, and it’s a welcome addition for Washington because Gortat is an excellent center in the pick and roll. Nene is also a good pick and roll player, and is an above average defender. The Wizards have a solid starting five rounding it out with Ariza, but depth is likely going to be a problem for this team. The Wizards bench has not been productive this season and Trevor Booker, Jan Vesely, Kevin Seraphin have all been disappointing.
Washington Trends: OVER 5-1 in last 6 after scoring 100 points or more in previous game; 1-5 ATS in last 6 overall; 16-5 ATS in last 21 after allowing 100 points or more in previous game.
Golden State Trends: 5-0-1 in last 6 Tuesday games; UNDER 4-1 in last 5 Tuesday games; UNDER 4-1 in last 5 when opponent allows 100 or more in previous game.
